Escaping Demons
by BunnyGoBoom
Summary: This is the sequel to Cupid's Arrow.
1. News of Nanda Parbat

May 2033

The sound of high heels clicking on the dull gray tiles echoed down the hall. The woman making those purposeful strides was stern-faced and steely-eyed, an expression that suited her graying, mousy hair pinned in a tight bun at the base of her neck. A man in uniform entered from an adjoining hallway, hesitant to address her.

"I'm missing dress shopping with my daughter, Hilford." she stated with a hint of annoyance. "You better have a good reason for calling me here."

He ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. "We're trying to verify a rumor."

The woman made a show of turning around and he caught her by the arm. She took a deep breath through her nose. "If you brought me here just to sift through—"

"I want you present during an interrogation."

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He let go of her arm.

"As a reserve member of alpha team, your clearance allows you full disclosure of high-level operations." he continued to explain.

"That's not an excuse for you to drag me here."

"No," Hilford admitted. "But I think you'll want to hear this."

Interest peaked, she followed him down the length of the hall and turned left, stopping in front of a one-way mirror that showed into a small room. Inside was a man. His hands and legs were bound to a metal chair bolted to the concrete floor. What caught her attention were his clothes.

"I've never seen this interrogation room before."

"It's more secure than the one we have above ground. We never use this one."

"Probably because we've never captured an assassin before." she said, crossing her arms. "Why is he in here instead of a pine box?"

"He knows something."

"Oh, I would think so," she snapped. "League members know lots of things. Doesn't mean we take them to HQ."

"We heard rumors of a massacre in Nanda Parbat. This guy was one of the few that were out on assignment when it happened."

"So the League took a bunch of people and killed them. They were probably celebrating Nyssa's birthday or something."

"Nyssa's dead." Hilford looked her in the eye, willing her to understand. "Two weeks ago, the League of Assassins was slaughtered and Nanda Parbat is now little more than a charred husk. He and a few other members have seen the aftermath."

She took a moment to digest the information. When she was finished she picked her jaw up off the floor and adjusted her large glasses. "Why would he tell us anything?"

"Because he knows we weren't involved." Hilford rolled his shoulders. The woman wondered if he was afraid. "No government agency was. None of them are crazy enough to attempt that, even as a joint effort."

"It's so crazy that it's even against protocol."

"Which is why he's agreed to share information in hopes that we can help. He thinks whoever's responsible is a rival group of assassins."

She bit her thumb anxiously. "Since when can anyone rival the League? There's no group on record who could match them in number or skill."

"They could be new,"

"Wonderful."

"This guy is the most information we'll get about what happened, since no one can go observe the crime scene. So I suggest you get started."

The woman turned fractionally to face him. "I'm hardly qualified."

Hilford tried not to smile. "None of our interrogators are team members, so they're unequipped to handle assassins. And you know I'm not a people person. Don't worry, you'll do fine."

Tossing a glare his way, she gripped the black door's cold handle. "Remind me to file a complaint with Director Smoak."

"Go ahead," Hilford smirked while maintaining his perfect military posture. "He's the one who asked for you."

The prisoner's eyes locked on the woman entering the room. Her dark blue pantsuit complemented her serious demeanor and plain brown glasses. She could've easily passed for a businesswoman or even a librarian, yet he could feel the need to fear her.

The feeling solidified when he looked into her eyes. Ferocity burned there like a small blue flame.

"My name is Felicity Queen and I will be your interrogator." Her stare was steady and cruel. "What is your name?"

"They called me Baqir." he answered with a mild Tibetan accent. "You are a rich man's wife. They must worry about you being alone with such a dangerous man."

"Let's cut the bullshit and skip to the good part," she demanded as she paced around him slowly. "Spill your guts or I'll spill them all over this floor."

He squirmed slightly, trying to get comfortable. "No need for such intimidation. I wish to tell you all that I know."

Her eyes narrowed. "I've met League members before, and you seem to lack that certain air of dignity and fearlessness."

His expression darkened. "They have been replaced with despondency, and you will know why soon enough.

"I saw the smoke. I thought perhaps it was a funeral pyre—"

Mrs. Queen couldn't help letting out a small chuckle. "And you were right."

The assassin would've clenched his jaw. "I saw the destruction as I approached. The walls and gates were still intact, so I did not know of the bodies until I entered the city."

"How many?"

"Fifty-two bodies were found. I do not know how many assassins were on assignment at the time."

"And everyone in Nanda Parbat is an assassin?"

"Yes." It was difficult to tell if he wanted to scream or cry. "All of them dead. There are only eight of us now. Some are likely to find new employers."

"I thought there was only one way to leave the League."

"Which is why I welcome what awaits me after this interrogation."

She nodded slowly. "So, could some of those bodies be the enemy?"

"No. Every body was identified as a League member, though not a specific one. Although it is possible the enemy took their dead with them. What disturbed us most were no signs of firearms."

"Everyone was killed with swords?"

"Yes. Also evidence of knives, shurikens, arrows, and blunt instruments. Four had broken necks."

Her heels clicking on the concrete were the only sound for a moment. "Sounds like most of the fighting was up close."

"Whoever did this should be on the top of your agency's most-wanted list."

"Their ability to kill Nyssa does that automatically."

The man hung his head. "To find our leader murdered crushed my spirit. Hers was the only body that hadn't burned."

Mrs. Queen stopped in front of him. "Do you think that was intentional?"

He sighed and looked at her. "That was the strangest part. Rivals would mutilate her body as a sign of dominance, but hers bore only a single wound under her ribs. And she was on her bed with her arms crossed over her chest." Emotion finally made his voice thick. "And she was covered by a shroud."

She bent down until they were eye level. "Baqir, is there any League member capable of this?"

He smiled incredulously. "Why would you ask that?"

"The display of Nyssa's body sounds like contrition."

Something flashed in the assassin's eyes. He swallowed hard. "They… then why were the others not treated the same way?"

A chill ran down Felicity's spine. "Because Nyssa was special. She had to die, but she was still special."

Baqir growled angrily in Arabic. Felicity only knew a handful of Arabic words, and "traitor" was one of them. The word spewed from his mouth every other sentence as he became more and more enraged. It seemed he had figured out who was responsible for the massacre in Nanda Parbat.

Fortunately, so had she.

And she couldn't have him blurting it out to her superiors.

"Thank you, Baqir," she whispered in his ear before snapping his neck.

"The hell was that?" Hilford demanded as she exited the room. "He was just about to—"

"I know the next place to look for answers." she stated, cutting him off. "I know those interrogations get recorded and I couldn't let anyone know until I've checked it out first."

His eyes narrowed. "Who are you protecting?"

"Technically no one, since I might be wrong. But I couldn't take the chance in there." Felicity marched away from him, eager to leave. He followed.

"Where are you going?"

"Let's just say I won't be back in time to help Penny find a prom dress."

* * *

**"Black Betty" by Ram Jam.**


	2. Shadow of a Doubt

It was dark by the time Felicity stepped out on to the curb in front of Sara's house. The Queens had visited several times over the years, but she was always taken aback by the cuteness of the townhouse. Daisies grew in the window boxes, complementing the light blue color of the house.

To think that an ex-assassin lives here.

Felicity quickly ascended the stairs, but hesitated when she was on the porch. What if she was right? Surely the Furies wouldn't _actually _kill her… She _did_ do them a favor, after all. That is, if it had really been her. She straightened her blazer and reached for the brass knocker, but the door opened before she could grasp it.

Standing before her was a seventeen-year-old girl with windblown, golden hair and big blue eyes. "Aunt Felicity? Why didn't you call first?"

"Wendy! Um… Surprise!" she replied awkwardly. "I was in the neighborhood and I thought—"

"Felicity?" The girl's father appeared behind her, holding a massive bowl of popcorn. "It's not like you to come without calling. Is everything okay?"

"Of course. I didn't mean to worry everyone. I just need to talk to Sara. Also, uh… where was she two weeks ago?"

Father and daughter exchanged a glance.

"Who's at the door?" Sara was coming down the stairs, her wet hair making tiny spots on her old S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirt.

"Felicity's here to see you," said her husband.

Sara smiled. "Invite her in, then."

"I hadn't meant to make them so nervous," Felicity said as she got comfortable on Wendy's bed. Sara sensed it might be a tense conversation, so she insisted on showing her Wendy's prom dress. Kicking herself for having to work instead of finding a dress with her own daughter, Felicity touched the intricate floral beading at the hemline. "This is very pretty, by the way."

"I think it was the twentieth dress she tried on," Sara responded. "which wasn't so bad considering how fast she can move. The shoes, though…" Sara gestured to the open shoebox that held glittering stilettos. "Well, you know how particular she is about shoes."

"Penny's just as bad. She demands perfection when it comes to her combat boots." Felicity swallowed and put her hands in her lap. "Sara, I need you to be honest. I only want to protect you. Did you have anything to do with what happened in Nanda Parbat?"

Sara looked genuinely confused, and Felicity breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened?"

"Now I'm hoping you can help me figure that out. Two weeks ago, everyone in Nanda Parbat was slaughtered."

"Why would you think I was involved?" Felicity watched the conflicting emotions dance on Sara's face.

"Because of the way Nyssa was killed."

"What?" Sara took a deep breath. "I know things ended badly, but I would never… How do you know Nyssa's dead?"

"A League member was interrogated. He said he was one of the few on assignment when it happened, and when he came back… They have no idea who did it. Neither do I, but when he said Nyssa was killed at very close range and that her body was laid out respectfully on her bed, I thought it might be you. And I thought he thought it too, and I couldn't have him saying your name because it would go on record and I didn't know what they would do to you."

Sara was near tears as she crossed her arms. "Well, I had nothing to do with it." She sat down beside Felicity. "It was someone on the inside, wasn't it? No one could have breached Nanda Parbat."

"Then why didn't that occur to Baqir at first?"

There was a flicker of recognition in Sara's eyes. "He was a senior member, loyal to the point of being brainwashed. Dissent was the worst crime you could commit in the League; anyone suspected was instantly killed. It wouldn't have even occurred to him that a group of dissenters would've formed, let alone succeeded."

"So you think it was a coup? Even with how they treated Nyssa?"

"It's likely that they would've respected her regardless."

"Well, dammit. I probably killed Baqir too soon. He really might've known who did it."

Sara's eyes narrowed. "What did he say, exactly?"  
"I only understood the word 'traitor' when he started ranting in Arabic. The Furies have translators figuring out the rest."

She nodded. "Well, let me know if I can help. Whoever's capable of this is too dangerous to leave alone."

Suddenly Felicity felt guilty for bringing this to her. Sara had been about to sit down to a movie with her family when official Furies business came in and stirred up the past. "I should get going. Barry and Wendy must want to start the movie."

"Don't feel bad," Sara assured, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "We're still waiting on Wally."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Speak of the devil," Felicity said with a smirk.

"You're late," Sara teased before opening the door.

"Astoundingly, yes." A slim young man with unruly red hair and a sprinkling of freckles stood at the door, cradling a grocery bag overflowing with candy. "I was indecisive at the store."

"So you went ahead and bought everything." said Felicity, stepping into view.

"Mrs. Q!" Wally exclaimed, grinning. "You here for the movie?"

"Sorry, dear, I only came to speak with Sara." she responded, patting him on the arm as she passed him on her way out.

"Was it work related? Penny said you ditched her for work." Wally called after her. He winced in regret when she turned around. "Uh, not that she was mad or anything. She totally understood. Pretty psyched that Digglet got to take her since you couldn't."

Mrs. Queen smiled. "It's good to have her home from college, isn't it? Well, I'll let you get on with your movie."

"You sure you don't want to stay? I think it's that really old movie where that guy sings 'Twist and Shout' on a parade float."

Before she could reply to Wally, her phone rang. "Sorry," she said waving it in front of him. "I'm busy. Tell Barry and Wendy bye for me, please." She watched Sara and Wally enter the house as she answered her phone. It was Kyle.

"Hey, it wasn't Sara. Do we have any other leads?"

"In spite of you killing the only one we had? Yes."

"And?" she asked as she hailed a cab.

"It took a while to sort out that rage-induced tirade, but the translators managed to make it coherent. Baqir kept talking about Nyssa's shadow."

"What?"

"Weird, right? He kept calling Nyssa's shadow a traitor and cursed him in a dozen different ways before you snapped his neck."

"So, does 'he' even have a name?"

"If he does, Baqir never said it."

"So all we've got is a shadow. Great." A cab finally stopped and she got in.

"Also got proof that your hunch was right."

"Which hunch?" she asked after telling the cab driver to go to the airport.

"That contrition thing. You know, like the person who killed her felt sorry about it. Baqir said something like, 'you were her light, and you betrayed her.' Maybe it was her boyfriend, then."

Felicity's face scrunched in thought. "I didn't know she swung that way, but I guess that could work."

"Too bad you killed Baqir."

"Shut _up_, Kyle. And don't bother me unless you really need me." she snapped before hanging up.


	3. Chronic Wound

The mansion was as quiet as a mausoleum when Felicity entered the foyer. It usually unnerved her to roam the mansion at night, but she was too distracted by her thoughts.

That fact that Nyssa was murdered was what made the whole situation even more terrifying. The massacre at Nanda Parbat, sure, that was cause for alarm. But Nyssa was such a complete badass that it was hard to process her being killed by someone. She killed Ra's Al Ghul (an even BIGGER badass) and took over the League of Assassins. Who could possibly manage to get the slip on someone like that? Who the hell was her shadow?

The stairs creaked as she climbed them, the atmosphere feeling like a suspenseful scene in a horror movie. Even the old paintings contributed to the vibe. Not that she noticed.

Why should she even care at all? Sara had explained it perfectly. They didn't need to know who the dissenters were, did they? Was it really that important? But how could a dissenter get so close to Nyssa? And why were they all dissenting anyway? Was it a general hatred of authority? Probably. And what about that guy, though? _What about that damn shadow_? Okay, so maybe he fell for Nyssa, pledged fealty or whatever, and she ended up breaking his heart? That almost made sense. She totally would've realized he was into her, though. That would've made her alert, right? So she would've been careful around a guy like that. So who the hell was this guy?

Felicity gasped quite girlishly as something brushed past her leg. Then a huge pair of glowing eyes stared at her from about five feet up the wall.

Dammit. Jelly Donut was climbing the curtains again.

"Bad kitty," she whispered as she pried him off. The tiny, flat-faced, fluffy potato thing that Penny had found in an alley let out a wheezy hiss before complying and curling up against Felicity's shoulder. After walking a few feet, she set him down and he sprinted off to either take a nap or kill something.

A soft blue glow was coming from under Tommy's closed door. It was a Sunday night, technically Monday morning, and a thirteen year old should not be up so late. She carefully opened it to see that he had only left the computer on. He was sleeping like an adorable, drooling angel. The blue glow was just enough light to show a bruise on his eye; he said he'd gotten it from training, but she had her doubts. She closed the door and continued on her way.

The hinges whined softly as she opened the door to her own bedroom. Oliver was fast asleep, his silhouette outlined by the soft twinkle lights from the backyard. She did her best not to wake him as she crept to the master bathroom to get ready for bed. When she was finished, he still hadn't moved. Carefully, she slipped into bed, moved to take off her glasses—

"Eeep!" she squealed as Oliver's muscular arms pulled her close, his short white beard scratching as he nuzzled her neck.

"What kept you?" he asked quietly as she snuggled into his embrace.

"Fury duty,"

He tickled her side and she giggled. "I need details. You were gone longer than I'd expected."

"Are you torturing me for information?"

"Mm-hmm," he kissed her cheek. "Especially since Sara let me know you dropped by."

Felicity took a moment to peck him on the lips before answering. "And she didn't tell you why?"

"Nope."

She took in the sight of her husband, still gorgeous and ripped at nearly fifty years old. "But if I tell you, it'll ruin the mood."

He beamed. "Tell me in the morning, then?"

She nodded, and they went at it like teenagers so loudly that the noises would've traumatized their children had they been awake.

Tommy rested his head on the dining room table, wincing as his bruise hit the mahogany. He was exhausted, but he couldn't fall asleep because he had to leave for school in a few minutes. Stupid parents. They should've let him soundproof their room.

The sound of his cereal bowl sliding across the table caused him to look up. He turned to see his sister crunching remorselessly on his stolen Lucky Charms.

"Mine," he said groggily.

She smiled and pushed the bowl towards him. "I'll ask Digglet to stop at Starbucks on the way to school."

"You're an angel," he mumbled, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses.

"So when is Daddy taking you to get your tux for prom?"

That woke him up a bit. He rolled his eyes. "I still don't think you need to go with me, especially when every guy in school wants to be your date."

"But no one else would go with you!"

Tommy slumped in his chair.

"Sorry. I know it's been tough being a thirteen-year-old junior. All the other girls think it'd be too weird to go with someone so much younger—"

"I could still go with Rosie," he argued. "I know she's older than me but she's still only a freshman."

"Trading in your sister for your cousin? I don't think that'll help much. And I doubt she could keep your bullies at bay as well as I could."

"I can handle them just fine by myself." he grumbled.

"Sure you can," she replied, poking his bruise.

"Ow,"

"Seriously, just let me at 'em,"

"None of us is allowed to fight as civilians. You know that."

"Otherwise they wouldn't be bothering you at all."

"I can deal with it." he said through a mouthful of tiny marshmallows. "Just leave it alone."

Her bubblegum-pink lips curled into a smile. "I think they need a visit from the Scary Canary."

"Penny, _no_."

"Then go to prom with me."

Tommy sighed. "Promise to take a real date to senior prom?"

"Absolutely."

"Fine. Just quit bugging me and let me fight my own battles."

Being the silly girly-girl that she was, Penny giggled in triumph as she bounced in her seat.

Then Tommy got a really good idea. "Actually, let's sweeten the deal a bit."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she adjusted the pink, rhinestone-covered bow in her hair. "What do you have in mind?"

"You have to take Damian to senior prom."

Penny's jaw dropped. "That little shit you call a best friend? But he's the same age as you are. I thought you wanted me to take a real date."

"First of all, you're not allowed to curse unless you have your mask on." Tommy pointed out, because he was also a little shit. "Secondly, he's not related to you and he'll be fourteen and a half by then. I'd say he qualifies."

"Is this some kind of revenge? Because I just wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on prom."

"This is a favor to my best friend, who has a massive crush on you."

Penny's overtly beautiful face twisted in confusion. "That little asshole—ugh, that little jerk has a crush on _me_? When did that happen?"

"Probably when he met you, but I think it really hit him when you spent last summer in Gotham. He was furious when he was telling me about you kissing Tim."

"Which was the best first kiss _ever_." Then the guilt settled in. "I totally had no idea. Know what? Fine. We have a deal. But his punk ass better be gentlemanly, you got that?"

Tommy had stopped paying attention though, because their father had entered the room.

"Morning, peanut," he greeted, kissing his daughter on the top of her head.

"Morning, Daddy,"

Then Oliver turned to Tommy, who was glaring at him. "You don't look like you slept well last night."

"A ruckus woke me up."

Oliver tried not to smile; this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. "A ruckus?"

"Yeah. So please do me a favor and either soundproof your bedroom or stop screwing Mom on school nights."

"Soundproofing is a potential safety hazard and the other thing is impossible, so how about we move you to a room farther away from ours?"

"Works for me," he said with a shrug.

Then Oliver noticed what his daughter was(n't) wearing. "Penelope Violet Queen, why aren't you wearing a shirt?!"

"Chill out, Dad. It's not a bra, it's a bustier. It counts as a shirt."

"I don't like it."

"Yeah, 'cause you're a good father. Unfortunately, the paparazzi expect Penny Queen to be a flirty, somewhat rebellious airhead. I have to give the lemmings what they want in order to keep up appearances."

Appearances were very important in the Queen family. "Let me see the rest of it,"

Penny stood up, and Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Along with the pink lacy thing she insisted wasn't a bra, she wore light pink, floral-print denim shorts that barely covered anything and five-inch stiletto pumps that she couldn't possibly run in.

Oliver took a deep breath and exhaled. "Do you have any of your civilian weapons just in case?"

Penny popped open her purse that totally looked like a cupcake and pulled out what apparently wasn't a tube of mascara. "Emergency bow staff Tommy made me last year."

"Good. Now go to school before I change my mind."

She nodded. "Bye, Daddy," Penny pecked him on the cheek before scurrying out of the room, her gold bracelets clinking faintly. Tommy hugged him and raced after his sister. A second later, he poked his head back into the room.

"Dad, did I really hear Mom call you 'Killer Lime' last night?"

"Go to school, Tommy."

Felicity was descending the stairs when she saw her children heading out the door.

"I don't get a goodbye?" she called after them.

With surprisingly little grace given their shared hobby, the kids spazzed their way back into the foyer and raced to their mother.

"We assumed you'd be sleeping in," Penny said, hugging her.

"And not just because you got in late." added Tommy.

Ignoring his comment, Felicity held him close and looked at her daughter. "I'm so sorry about the—"

"Mom, seriously. It's okay. Grandpa wouldn't let you get called in unless it was crazy important. Anyway, I got to spend time with Digglet, who should be here any second."

She wished her kids a good day at school and watched them walk out the door.

"You look lovely this morning," Oliver complimented when he entered the foyer. Felicity wore a fitted, soft pink knee-length dress with matching kitten heels, an outfit that went well with her hair pinned to the side.

"And you fill out that suit better than you should," she said as she straightened his tie.

He freed a strand of hair from her dull pink lipstick. "So, do you want to tell me what the Furies wanted?"

She told him everything, including what happened with the Allens and her conversation with her cousin afterward.

"I doubt Nyssa had a boyfriend," he commented.

"I know, right? The only man she had any kind of relationship with was her father, and she killed him to usurp his power. I really don't know who her shadow could be."

Oliver was quiet for a long moment, deep in thought. "Could Nyssa have ever been a mother?"

Felicity burst out laughing. "Did she really strike you as the motherly type?"

"Nearly two decades ago? No. But we hadn't seen her since then. Maybe she changed."

She wasn't convinced. Like, at all. "So Nyssa might've been killed by her adopted son?"

"Or test tube baby." His smirk let her know he realized the incredulity of the idea.

"Right. Yeah, this whole 'son' thing isn't clicking for me at all."

"Ask Sara about it when you get the chance. Or Damian, if the Furies allow it."

"I'll be sure to do that,"

"Ready to go?" he asked, reaching for the door.

"You can go without me," she replied, "I have a few more things to do."

Oliver wasn't fooled by her tone. "If you're going to do what I think you're going to do, then I want to go with you."

She blushed a little and looked away, knowing she'd been caught. "You really don't have to. In fact, I probably shouldn't. Let's just go to work." But her husband gently grabbed her arm before she could reach the door.

"Felicity," he breathed, making eye contact. "It's okay."

Hesitantly, she took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go, then."

The grass was wet as they silently strolled towards the big oak tree with its three tombstones beside it. The simpler ones were for Oliver's parents. Beneath the tree was a smaller one with a life-size marble angel. Her white curls hung carelessly as she wept into her folded arms, which rested on top of the stone as she knelt beside it. The inscription was intentionally ambiguous:

_Robert Oliver Queen_

_Taken from us the day of his birth_

_October 9, 2013_

Even after five years, Felicity still hated that stupid fucking tombstone; not for its design, but for its purpose. She and Oliver had been pressured into commissioning that damn thing when Robbie was fifteen. Some PR bullshit about closure, or at least appearing to have closure. It had been long enough, and it was starting to look bad, blah, blah, blah. So Felicity and Oliver acquiesced. They were so sure he was dead? Fine. Then he was getting one hell of a tombstone.

Felicity wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, and he hugged her close.

"Another nightmare last night?" he asked

"In a way," she rested her head on his chest. "It was one of those happy ones that make me cry when I wake up." her eyes were beginning to water. "He was out here, playing with Penny and Tommy the way Connor does."

Oliver kissed her forehead. "I had a nightmare before you got home last night. The same kind I've been having since we got this tombstone."

She looked into his eyes. "How bad was it this time?"

"I've had worse." He sighed, trying to smile but his lip was quivering too much. "Robbie was stuck on the Lian Yu, like always, and it was dark and cold and he had no one to help him…" Oliver took a moment to regain his composure. "And he was freezing because the wood was too wet to start a fire and he kept saying over and over that he had to survive so he could get home."

Felicity wiped his tears as she felt her own run down her cheeks. "You could've told me last night."

"I didn't want to bother you with it."

"I guess that's why you were so cuddly and wanted sex."

He chuckled. "You got me," Oliver used his pocket square to dab at his wife's eyes. "By the way, have I mentioned how much I hate that fucking tombstone?"

She grinned briefly. "I know how you feel. Unfortunately, it hurts more to look at the ultrasound."

Oliver almost started crying again. "That's true,"

After they had cleaned each other up, they went back inside, back to pretending their pain had faded long ago.

Back to ignoring the gaping hole in their lives.

* * *

"**Dream On" by Aerosmith**


	4. The New Trend

"You think Arrowette is going to fight any crime tonight?" Penny asked casually while flipping through the stations, making Digglet smile. "'Cause I bet the Scary Canary will want some backup."

"Since when does the Canary fight on a school night?"

"Since her buddy Arrowette convinced their parents to allow it."

Penny's pouty, pleading face was almost enough to sway her.

"Hmm… Nope."

"Curse your iron will!" Penny spouted dramatically with a hint of humor. "I hardly _ever_ get to fight crime! I have to be all sporadic to throw people off but Connor and Uncle Roy get to go out almost every night! I haven't done it in almost three weeks!"

"And I haven't done it since I left for college in August. I bet we could get the okay for this weekend."

"You think so?"

"Just say the word, Tweety Bird,"

Content, Penny leaned back in her seat and listened to the chorus of Emperor Cupcake and the Willy Nillies' latest hit single. Then a question occurred to her.

"You really didn't get to fight at all?"

Digglet shrugged. "I was told to leave it to the resident vigilantes. I think that's the general rule unless you're invited to help."

Penny got all dreamy-eyed. "Yeah, those Supers can totally hold their own. And I've been meaning to ask, did Connor Kent say anything about me? You said things were looking promising when you came home on winter break."

"Huh?" Digglet said, feigning distraction as she switched lanes.

Penny turned off the music, which meant the only background noise was the sound of Tommy sucking down his coffee behind them.

"Connor Kent. You know, a lot like the unbelievably wonderful Clark Kent only younger and broodier and less powerful and more available."

"And probably the only guy that gives her a serious lady boner," Tommy added after another sip.

"Yes, thank you," Penny acknowledged. "It's also one of my life goals to bear his beautiful superbabies. Did he ask about me?"

"Oh… Right. Um… We didn't really talk much." Digglet answered, still paying way too much attention to the road. "Freshman year. A lot of adjusting. Studied most of the time. And he's not the kind of guy to talk about his feelings."

Penny's eyes narrowed, and she shared a glance with her brother. "What are you hiding?"

For a long moment, Digglet said nothing.

"He's kind of into someone right now," she admitted, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

That did so not compute. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Her name's Cassie. Diana introduced them in January."

"I was betrayed by Wonder Woman?"

"No, she was just… I don't know. They make sense, okay? Cassie's, like, sturdy."

"_Sturdy_?" Penny's temperature was rising. "So I'm not compatible with him because I'm normal? That's such bull! Clark is with Lois and she's even more fragile than I am!" Penny started to frantically fan herself in order to keep from crying. "Did he even like me?"

"Penny, _everyone_ likes you," she stated consolingly.

That barely worked. Sniffling, she turned to her brother. "Can I please have some of that iced frappe-mocha-choca-latte thing?"

He obliged, especially since he was already feeling jittery.

"Maybe when he feels more in control of his powers, he'll have the courage to ask you out." Tommy offered.

"Think that might be it?"

"Totally could be," Digglet grinned. "I mean, think about it. That guy could smash your pelvis into a million pieces with a single thrust."

"_I am in the car!"_ Tommy announced aggressively.

"But that could easily be avoided if I were on top." argued Penny, completely ignoring her horrified brother. "I think contraception would be a bigger issue. I'm sure that latex wouldn't hold up. I can't have, like, _thirty_ of his babies, you know? Twenty-nine's my limit."

"Mr. Kent might have an answer," suggested Digglet as she made the final turn. "He must use something. Kryptonite condoms? Is that a thing?"

"Are you suggesting that Mr. Kent rolls glowing latex poison on his dick in order to have sex with Lois?"

The girls _still_ hadn't noticed that Tommy was discreetly recording their conversation with his phone.

"The box the condoms come in would have to be lined with lead! Or at least the little foils would be," Digglet commented.

Penny snorted. "And the foils have 'S' shields on them!"

"And tiny red capes,"

They were lucky that the school was in view, because the girls were laughing so hard that Digglet could barely control the car.

"And… send." Tommy mumbled to himself with a smirk.

The undisputed queen of Starling High stepped out of the car and into her kingdom. Her wealth and good looks had guaranteed her the throne since freshman year, and as an upperclassman her role as Queen Bee was official. As tiresome as ruling was, Penny held tightly to her position: there were way too many vicious bitches who wanted the crown. So she wasn't so much as clinging to sovereignty as she was preventing a reign of terror.

Tommy was by her side as two sophomore boys opened the doors for them. The halls were crammed with students that hastily made way for their queen and her brother. Greetings and catcalls alike rang out while Penny smiled and waved.

Then she noticed something very wrong.

What had been a rare occurrence last week was now a full-blown fad. It seemed that more than half of the school was wearing a vintage _Find Robbie_ t-shirt, or one with a related message. Penny fought hard to keep her smile as she spotted one shirt after another: _Never Forget: 10-9-2013_ was popular among the general student body; most of the cheer squad wore _I Heart Robbie Queen_ in varying colors and styles; the shirts with a picture of Robbie's grave were uncomfortably prevalent; relevant articles from twenty years ago served as a graphic design on many of them, with headlines like "QUEEN BABY: DEAD OR ALIVE?" and "CHANGELING EPIDEMIC" stamped across the chest. Feeling her smile waver, she looked to Tommy. His placid expression was completely intact, but his grip on his backpack straps was turning his knuckles white.

They made it to their neighboring lockers with hardly a crack in their veneer.

"_This is cruel._" Penny said in Chinese, just in case anyone overheard. "_And it's not even the anniversary yet. Why would they do this now?_"

"_Disaster month." _Tommy responded as he shoved books into his locker. "_And unfortunately this generation is detached from the event, unlike their parents. They see it more as a local legend rather than a tragedy."_

Penny made a show of touching up her lipstick in her locker mirror. "_So they walk around in those shirts as if it shouldn't hurt us?"_

"_I think there's more to it than shirts. You wouldn't believe what I've seen on the internet."_

Before Tommy could elaborate, Rosie and Danny found them.

"So, how's your morning going?" asked Rosie brightly, trying to hide her anxiety.

"I think it's been pretty sucky, as far as Mondays go." Danny commented, using his own method of easing the tension.

"Fletcher makes a good point," noted Penny, glad their little freshmen friends were here. "What do you think, Baby Bro?"

"I think we're in for a long week."

As usual, he was right.

The four of them fought to maintain their unaffected appearance for the next few days. The shirts remained just as abundant, a sight that was more exhausting than expected. Their hope that a teacher would step up and point out the insensitivity dwindled with every class period.

They made it until Thursday at lunch before something bad happened.

"This is getting ridiculous," Rosie mumbled after swallowing a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "Every member of the faculty is too… I don't know, stupid to tell these kids off. And if we say anything, then we're being too sensitive."

"Penny and I have been more worried about our parents finding out," Tommy said, staring morosely at his chicken nuggets. "We're not sure how much longer we can keep them in the dark."

Danny winced. "Can you imagine if they found out? Hell, even if mine or Rosie's parents found out? They would totally freak."

Penny took a gulp of her chocolate milk. "It's definitely a sorer subject for them."

"For good reason," he replied. "They were all a part of it. Not just the initial… uh…thing, but all that stuff that happened after. The media feeding frenzy, the accusations—"

"The Changeling Epidemic," Tommy interjected.

Their exclusive little table was quiet for a moment.

"Yeah, I don't think they'd take this flippancy very well." Rosie stated.

"I wouldn't blame them for it," mumbled Penny. "It nearly destroyed our parents. Mine and Tommy's, I mean. Not just their marriage but, you know, _them_."

"Rosie's dad told us that Mom turned into something else after it happened. Like she's not even the same person at all." said Tommy.

"I prefer Diggle's version of events over Uncle Roy's though. 'Cause he's not as soft about it." Penny poked at her Jell-O. "He said it was like Mom died when she lost Robbie."

"She probably had postpartum depression," her brother added.

"Postpartum psychosis sounds more accurate, considering the stuff Mom did."

"Which I think depends on your moral stance when evaluating her actions." countered Tommy.

"Is this a Queen-only thing?" questioned Danny. "Because Rosie and I never got the lowdown on year one."

"Pretty much," Penny slumped over her food, her appetite being devoured by her mood.

As if they didn't feel awful enough, Jaleb Hempy came to their table, standing over them with an air of unwarranted confidence.

"Here we go," Rosie grumbled quietly.

"So, I noticed that none of you have been wearing a Robbie tee," Jaleb started, sneaking a peek down Penny's dress. She was too used to that kind of objectification to care. "I'm surprised. Thought the four of you would be on the bandwagon by now."

"We've got enough memorabilia at home, thanks." Tommy answered with a mirthless smile.

"And as freshmen we're not supposed to be very cool anyway," Rosie added.

"You agree with her, Fletcher?" Jaleb asked, tossing his longish dark hair out of his face.

Danny eyed the infamous warehouse on Jaleb's t-shirt. "I'm a total dork, man. I couldn't pull it off."

Shrugging, he turned to Penny, who didn't look up to dealing with this shit. "How about the fashion icon?" he cajoled, checking out her floral-print mini dress. "Isn't Penny Queen supposed to be tuned in to all the latest trends?"

The It Girl of Starling City was poised to snap her plastic spoon in half. "I set trends, I don't follow them."

"You sure?" He wasn't even subtle about ogling her. "I bet you'd look hot in one of those baby tees."

"Nah, I'm good."

"For real, though. You guys gotta get in on this. 'Cause it's _you_ guys, know what I'm sayin'? You're like, a part of it."

"No kidding," Tommy muttered to Rosie.

"Aubergine Acker wants to throw a party on the anniversary." he announced, oblivious to the table's discomfort.

"Omg2 , for realsies?!" Penny responded sarcastically.

Excited, Jaleb took the empty seat at their table. The group tossed each other subtle glances. "Dude, it's gonna be hella rad. Everybody's gonna dress accordingly and the old news footage is gonna play on every TV. And my band's gonna play. We finally decided to call ourselves The Throbbing Cocks. Have you seen us play yet, Penny?"

"Nope," Nor did she ever want to.

"You should totally come to one of our gigs. Our theremin player wrote a song about you called 'Penny's Coinslot.' It's way more respectful than it sounds. The guy's a total poet."

"Yeah, I'll make sure to throw my panties on stage." she deadpanned.

The idiot guitarist took that as a playful tease. "We'd rather you flash us." he flirted. "Oh, I forgot the other thing about the party: theory fiction! Some of that stuff is _so good_, you know? We might be reading the really popular stuff out loud."

He eagerly watched for reactions around the table, but only Tommy knew what he was talking about. He busied himself with poking holes in his unwrapped Twinkie.

"None of you know about theory fiction either? _Dude_, you are _so_ missing out!" He leaned into his reluctant audience. "They're stories people make up about what happened to Robbie Queen. Like, there's infanticide fic which is okay and everything, but the WIR—Where Is Robbie?—stuff is way better. Like, there's this one called _Debauchery_ that is by far the best one ever and it's where he was like sold to this madam in Markovia and she raised him to be one of her whores because he's bound to be really pretty, right? And there's all this smut about him deep-throating EU politicians and plowing rich lonely housewives and attending orgies and stuff. Everybody loves that one. Aubergine and Nevada said they've each read it like twenty times."

How was Jaleb Hempy not dead? How was it possible that he was not choking on his own blood as a plastic knife jutted from his spouting, severed carotid?

"That's my big brother." Penny stated in a barely calm tone. "And Tommy's big brother. And Rosie's cousin. Do you really think we want to read about him deep-throating anybody?"

Jaleb scoffed. "What, are you offended?"

"Yeah, little bit," Danny answered for the table.

"Why? He was taken before any of us were born. He pretty much doesn't even count as your brother if you've never met him."

"My mom did," Aw, shit. Penny was bringing the heavy stuff to the table. "And then when she passed out from blood loss, Robbie's kidnapper cut the cord and she never saw him again. So maybe you should be more respectful towards my mom's son."

That didn't even cause a dent in his apathy. He actually laughed. "You strut around with your big blonde hair and big beautiful boobs like nothing can get to you, but you're just a sensitive little rich bitch. Your mom's healthy, wealthy, her marriage is still intact, and she's got two more kids and even a replacement son. But oh, she lost her newborn two decades ago before she could even bond with him. Boo-fucking-hoo. She should be over it by now."

"The fuck you just say about my mom?" Penny said in a low, deadly tone. Her friends knew that if she'd slipped on her no-swears rule, then the Canary was close to busting out of her cage.

Not that Jaleb knew about the rule. He was almost proud that he could piss her off so much. "I said she needs to move the fuck on. It was probably for the best, anyway. I bet Robbie would never want to know that his little sister looks like one of those expensive sex dolls that middle-aged pervs order off the internet—"

Danny slammed his slice of peanut butter pie in Jaleb's face. Which, to be honest, was lucky for Jaleb; Penny was ready to snap his femur like a muthafuckin' kit-kat.

"BRO!" Jaleb bellowed, standing up in outrage.

"You're a massive douchewad, Jaleb!"Danny shouted, standing up as well. "Get the hell away from our table!"

With a grunt, Jaleb scooped up a handful of Penny's mashed potatoes and hurled it at Danny. His aim totally sucked. The lumpy projectile soared over the ducking freshman and hit a cheerleader's designer purse sitting on the floor.

"You cum-smothered dickburger!" she screeched, catapulting a hastily aimed pudding cup in Jaleb's direction.

"FOODFIGHT!"

No one knows who yelled it, but it was the shot heard 'round the cafeteria. Ketchup-covered chaos erupted before the lunch monitor could tear herself away from the erotic fanfiction on her tablet, at which point her yelling was completely ineffective.

Jaleb landed a sucker punch on Danny's jaw, and their altercation turned into a full-on fistfight. Penny, Tommy, and Rosie took refuge under their table and cheered Danny on as he pretended not to know how to totally kick ass.

Penny had forgotten that Connor was picking her up after school. Ugh, that meant he'd see the shirts! Tommy was tutoring half the football team so he didn't have to endure Connor's reaction, but she would get a front-row seat. It would so not be okay if he knew what was going on at school. Her big brother was like, _there_. He showed up just a year and a half after the major event went down, and it was like, _bad_. He was six years old then so he totally remembered stuff. And there was all this really awful emotional crap that her mom had to deal with when he showed up… Penny was never given all the details, but it had definitely been brutal.

She stood on the curb with her backpack and purse, her hair and clothes smeared with edible ammunition.

Connor rolled up on his vintage Ducati looking like a swarthy, hella-ripped James Dean. Usually he'd get a kick out of the swooning teenage girls, but Penny hoped he wouldn't bother to look around.

He took off his helmet. "The hell happened to you?"

"Teenagers are massive a-holes, that's what happened. Can we get going?"

"You're going to deny me the amusement of watching these girls drool over me?" Connor teased with a devastating grin.

"They don't deserve to behold your beauty anyway. Let's go."

But it was already too late: Connor's smile had fallen. "The hell is this?"

"The new trend," she answered, swinging her leg over his bike. "Been going on all week."

"Explains your mood recently," He grimaced. "Heartless little bastards."

"Can we please go now?" she pleaded, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Does your mom know about this? Or Dad?" Connor asked, genuinely worried.

"I don't think so,"

"Good." He handed her the spare helmet, then donned his own. "Wanna take the long way home?"

"That'd be awesome."

* * *

"**Rill Rill" by Sleigh Bells for entering Starling High**

"**Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance for the cafeteria carnage.**

**Do any of you like fancasting? I like fancasting. I want one for each new character but I'm having trouble figuring all of them out. If any of you are interested, I'd like suggestions even for the ones I have done already.**

**Penny - Kate Upton. She was adorable in **_**The Other Woman**_**, okay?**

**Tommy – Sean Giambrone. He's that little dork from **_**The Goldbergs.**_

**Digglet - Madeleine Mantock. She was Astrid Finch on **_**The Tomorrow People**_

**Rosie – Mackenzie Foy. She was Renesmee. Don't judge her for it.**

**Danny – Ian Nelson. You **_**Teen Wolf **_**fans should know who he is.**

**Connor – I don't know please help me.**

**Wendy – Dove Cameron. Disney brat.**

**Wally – Dylan O'Brien. Because I said so.**

**Robbie – Why would he even need one? He's probably dead. **

**Fancasts for Damian, Tim, Connor Kent, Cassie Sandsmark and anyone else mentioned are welcomed. **

**Love you guys!**


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